Department for Education

Schools

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey havemade of the risksfor schools of a no-deal Brexit.

lord agnew of oulton: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 09 September 2019.The correct answer should have been:

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member. The Department is considering all aspects of how exiting the EU might affect schools in England and has well-developed plans for leaving the EU without a deal.The Department has issued guidance for schools on how to prepare for EU exit, which has been attached and is available from:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-exit-no-deal-preparations-for-schools-in-england/eu-exit-no-deal-preparations-for-schools-in-england.

lord agnew of oulton: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member. The Department is considering all aspects of how exiting the EU might affect schools in England and has well-developed plans for leaving the EU without a deal.The Department has issued guidance for schools on how to prepare for EU exit, which has been attached and is available from:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-exit-no-deal-preparations-for-schools-in-england/eu-exit-no-deal-preparations-for-schools-in-england.

Schools

lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what preparations they have made to ensure that schools are not adversely affected by a no-deal Brexit.

lord agnew of oulton: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 09 September 2019.The correct answer should have been:

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member. The Department is considering all aspects of how exiting the EU might affect schools in England and has well-developed plans for leaving the EU without a deal.The Department has issued guidance for schools on how to prepare for EU exit, which is available from:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-exit-no-deal-preparations-for-schools-in-england/eu-exit-no-deal-preparations-for-schools-in-england.

lord agnew of oulton: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member. The Department is considering all aspects of how exiting the EU might affect schools in England and has well-developed plans for leaving the EU without a deal.The Department has issued guidance for schools on how to prepare for EU exit, which is available from:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eu-exit-no-deal-preparations-for-schools-in-england/eu-exit-no-deal-preparations-for-schools-in-england.

Students: Rents

lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the rents levied by developers of student accommodation.

baroness berridge: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 09 September 2019.The correct answer should have been:

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.Higher education providers are autonomous bodies, independent from the government. The department plays no direct role in the provision of student residential accommodation. The department assesses student accommodation rent levels through the Student Income and Expenditure Surveys that have been undertaken at regular intervals since the mid-1980s. Information on student rents is also reported in the Accommodation Costs Surveys published jointly by the National Union of Students and the student housing charity, Unipol. The report published by the independent panel supporting the Post-18 Review of Education and Funding recommends that the Office for Students: examines the costs of student accommodation; andworks with students and providers to improve data about costs, rents, profits and quality.The department has not yet taken decisions on these recommendations but will consider the panel’s proposals in due course.

baroness berridge: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.Higher education providers are autonomous bodies, independent from the government. The department plays no direct role in the provision of student residential accommodation. The department assesses student accommodation rent levels through the Student Income and Expenditure Surveys that have been undertaken at regular intervals since the mid-1980s. Information on student rents is also reported in the Accommodation Costs Surveys published jointly by the National Union of Students and the student housing charity, Unipol. The report published by the independent panel supporting the Post-18 Review of Education and Funding recommends that the Office for Students: examines the costs of student accommodation; andworks with students and providers to improve data about costs, rents, profits and quality.The department has not yet taken decisions on these recommendations but will consider the panel’s proposals in due course.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Carbon Emissions

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have topublish guidance about how people can reduce their carbon emissions.

lord duncan of springbank: As part of the Green GB & NI campaign, we publish information on how people can reduce their emissions, such as asking their energy supplier about getting a Smart Meter and preparing their home for winter. More information can be found on the Green GB & NI website.Further advice we have published includes the Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy and the Eatwell guide, which provides advice on how to obtain a balance of healthier and more sustainable food.

Department for Work and Pensions

Poverty

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the objectives listed in the departmental plan for the Department for Work and Pensionsmakes no reference to (1) reducing poverty, and (2) the Sustainable Development Goal on poverty.

baroness stedman-scott: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 09 September 2019.The correct answer should have been:

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.As clearly set out in the Government’s published response to the Voluntary National Review of the Sustainable Development Goal 1, we are committed to delivering a sustainable, long-term solution to reducing poverty through welfare reforms that ensure that the benefits system works with the tax system and the labour market to support employment and higher pay. There is clear evidence that full-time work dramatically reduces the risk of poverty for working families; for example, there is only a 7% chance of a child being in poverty (relative, after housing costs) if both parents work full-time compared with 66% for children in (two-parent) families with only part-time work. Although not directly referenced, our approach to reducing poverty is already reflected in our Single Departmental Plan which sets out how we plan to achieve our key strategic objectives including delivering an effective labour market strategy that boosts employment among under-represented and disadvantaged groups and facilitating progression; and consolidating the delivery of Universal Credit so that it works for everyone.Universal Credit, at the heart of our reforms, has already shown that it is more effective in getting people into work than the legacy benefits it replaces. Nine months into a UC claim, 40% of claimants are working for an employer in a paid role, compared with only 23% at the start of their claim. This is a key approach to provide a sustainable solution to reducing poverty.

baroness stedman-scott: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.As clearly set out in the Government’s published response to the Voluntary National Review of the Sustainable Development Goal 1, we are committed to delivering a sustainable, long-term solution to reducing poverty through welfare reforms that ensure that the benefits system works with the tax system and the labour market to support employment and higher pay. There is clear evidence that full-time work dramatically reduces the risk of poverty for working families; for example, there is only a 7% chance of a child being in poverty (relative, after housing costs) if both parents work full-time compared with 66% for children in (two-parent) families with only part-time work. Although not directly referenced, our approach to reducing poverty is already reflected in our Single Departmental Plan which sets out how we plan to achieve our key strategic objectives including delivering an effective labour market strategy that boosts employment among under-represented and disadvantaged groups and facilitating progression; and consolidating the delivery of Universal Credit so that it works for everyone.Universal Credit, at the heart of our reforms, has already shown that it is more effective in getting people into work than the legacy benefits it replaces. Nine months into a UC claim, 40% of claimants are working for an employer in a paid role, compared with only 23% at the start of their claim. This is a key approach to provide a sustainable solution to reducing poverty.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food and Water: Rationing

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for rationing to prevent potential food and water shortages post Brexit.

lord gardiner of kimble: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 09 September 2019.The correct answer should have been:

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member. Defra is the lead Government department for food and water in Her Majesty’s Government and these sectors are two of the 13 Critical National Infrastructure Sectors in the UK. The food and water sectors are making detailed preparations for all eventualities as we prepare to leave the EU, and rationing will not be implemented.The UK’s high degree of food security is built on access to a range of sources including strong domestic production and imports from other countries. This will continue to be the case when we leave the EU whatever the circumstances. The UK Government has well established ways of working with the food industry. Defra Ministers and officials meet regularly with the food industry, who are experienced in dealing with scenarios that can affect food supply, to support contingency planning by the industry as we prepare to leave the EU.We are confident that no deal will not have an impact on water supply. We have been working closely with water companies, chemical suppliers, regulators and the devolved administrations on contingency planning, and companies are well advanced in their preparations to make sure they can meet their statutory responsibility to maintain services. It will be the case that our water will continue to be safe and of the same quality customers expect when we leave the EU. The food and water sectors are engaged with Local Resilience Forums to ensure effective delivery of these sectors at the local level.

lord gardiner of kimble: It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member. Defra is the lead Government department for food and water in Her Majesty’s Government and these sectors are two of the 13 Critical National Infrastructure Sectors in the UK. The food and water sectors are making detailed preparations for all eventualities as we prepare to leave the EU, and rationing will not be implemented.The UK’s high degree of food security is built on access to a range of sources including strong domestic production and imports from other countries. This will continue to be the case when we leave the EU whatever the circumstances. The UK Government has well established ways of working with the food industry. Defra Ministers and officials meet regularly with the food industry, who are experienced in dealing with scenarios that can affect food supply, to support contingency planning by the industry as we prepare to leave the EU.We are confident that no deal will not have an impact on water supply. We have been working closely with water companies, chemical suppliers, regulators and the devolved administrations on contingency planning, and companies are well advanced in their preparations to make sure they can meet their statutory responsibility to maintain services. It will be the case that our water will continue to be safe and of the same quality customers expect when we leave the EU. The food and water sectors are engaged with Local Resilience Forums to ensure effective delivery of these sectors at the local level.